The Dreaded Sin of Lust

 In the book of Job, chapter 31, Job made a final plea of his innocence.  He started with these words: "I made a covenant with my eyes not to look with lust at a young woman."  Numerous times throughout this chapter, he talked about the sin of lust.

Lusting after a young woman.

Lusting after his neighbor's wife.

He spent a considerable amount of time spelling out the evils of lust and how he can completely wreck one's life, for it takes their eyes off of the Lord.  In verse 12, he said, "It is a fire that burns all the way to hell.  It would wipe out everything I own."

I have known numerous people who have lost much due to lust taking over their life.  It could even be the lust for alcohol and/or illegal drugs.  With the divorce rate as high as it is, I shake my head at those who completely ignore their spouses/partners and urge themselves to see if the grass is greener on the other side.

From what Scripture tells us, the other side is not greener.  Living a life as sinless as possible is the only way to live.

Obedience to the Lord

In Psalm 81, the psalm starts out with complete praise for the Lord and all that He has done for His people.  We should be blaring our trumpets, beating tambourines, singing as loud as we can, with all of our might.

The Lord our God took the burden from our shoulders, and when we cried out to Him, He answered.

But the Lord gave a stern warning to the Israelites.  They were to never worship a god.  Only God.  But they turned their back on Him, when He provided them with everything they could ever need.

Have complete obedience to the Lord, and everything you could ever want will be provided to you.

Job's Cancellation

Sorry, it's been a while.  I could give a hundred different excuses, but that's what it would be: an excuse.

As we continue in the book of Job, chapter 29, Job lamented that before his troubles, the Lord took care of all of his troubles.  He was respected, he gave much to the poor, and all who heard him speak praised him.  Even those in power took heed and loved him.

But as he continued on in chapter 30, he was now mocked by the outcasts of society.

Job was cancelled, to use today's term, and treated as a vulgar human being.  Everyone seemed to mock and taunt him.

Only through the Lord was he to be restored, even better than before.

Take Job's plight into consideration when you find yourself on the wrong end of today's cancel culture.  Place your complete trust in God, for He will restore your spirit and protect you.

Finding Wisdom

In the book of Job, chapter 28, Job spoke about how much people knew.  They knew how to mine for silver and gold, how to dig in the earth, how to explore the darkest regions.  People knew how to go down deep mine shafts, grow food, and how to dam up rivers.

But how do we find wisdom?

That, my friend, we do not know.  It does not show on any map.  It cannot be purchased by any amount of gold or jewels.

God alone knows the way to wisdom.

God created the laws of the rain and how the lightning paths are made.  He decided exactly how hard the wind is to blow and where.

In verse 28, Job stated that the fear of the Lord is true wisdom, to forsake evil is real understanding.

No hope for the godless

Continuing on in the book of Job, chapter 27, Job made a vow that no matter what was done to him, he would tell no lies.  He would not turn his back on God.  He placed his complete trust in the Almighty Lord.

Verse 8 struck me as powerful: "For what hope do the godless have when God cuts them off and takes away their life?"

The rest of the verses are a comparison to evil people and righteous ones.  Evil people may have hordes of money, large houses, and tons of clothes.  But they will soon find it gone and are constantly worried about their stuff.

The righteous gained their inheritance from the Lord.

Stop comparing yourself to others, when you know in your heart that they are not living a godly life.  Keep your trust in the Lord as Job did.  God will reward you.

The Jesus Moment

While reading the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, certain passages always perplexed me when it came to Jesus performing His miracles.  After the miracles, He would tell them to not say anything to anyone.  Undoubtedly, the majority of the time, they didn't listen and told all who would listen about the miracle and who did it.

Why would Jesus do that?

Then, upon further examination, it was the timeline of Jesus's ministry that was at play.  He wasn't ready for the world to hear His message.

Now, keep in mind, it all had to do with timing.  His timing was always perfect.  And those times were not the correct time.

The same could be true of all us.  As we read the Gospels, we're eager to share our message with the world.  In late August, I was at a funeral and one of my co-workers struck up a conversation with me about religion.  He told me he had reservations about how he had been treated in some of the older churches and had found some peace with a form of paganism.

Even though I had been listening to a lot of apologetics and immersing myself into Christianity more and more, my response lacked any luster.  The Holy Spirit definitely intervened, stopping me from doing more harm than good, and I know it was not quite my "Jesus Moment."

Others may come to their Jesus Moment faster than others.  But as long as we work to get there, praying and allowing God and the Holy Spirit and the love of Jesus to fill your heart, mind, and spirit, your time will come.

Answered Prayers

It's been close to a month since my last post.  A lot has been happening lately, and I'll soon get back on track.

I'm currently reading Heaven Is For Real and something struck me today about God answering prayers.  It's something I've thought about for a while, so bear with me as I write it down.

During the holiday season of 2019, it was a dark time for my family with my wife's rapidly failing health.  As Thanksgiving came upon us, I prayed to God to let us get through the holidays at least.  I knew she was going to pass.  I just didn't know when.

However, I did tell God that if it was His will to take her before or during the holidays, I would do my best not to let it tarnish future holidays.

Not only did we make it through the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays in 2019, I also rang in the New Year with her.  She passed on January 16, 2020.

As the months dragged on following her passing, I wondered if I would ever find love again.  So I turned to God in prayer.  I asked God if it was His will for me to remain single for the remainder of my life, I would accept it.  I wouldn't be very happy with the decision, but would accept it and would claim the life as He saw fit.

However, if He did see that I would find another female companion, I had a few asks.  I will keep the asks to myself and the Lord Himself, save for one.  She had to be a Christian.  And not just a so-so Christian.  One who knew God and we could have spiritual and Biblical conversations about.

Well, I will let you know that God has once again answered my prayers.  She lives around three hours from me, had lost her husband in March 2021 to pancreatic cancer, and . . . not only is she a Christian, her father is also a part-time pastor.

Halleluiah!

Praise the Lord!

As an added note of irony, she also shares the same first name as my late wife.

Yes, Jesus is smiling down on us for sure.